About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Winnetka IL Chapter is a group of mothers and daughters who have come together in a commitment to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.
Members shall reside in Winnetka Village and can attend school in Winnetka Village or surrounding areas. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Winnetka IL aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

 

OUR THREE PILLARS 

Philanthropy. Culture. Leadership.

The NCL experience is built around mothers’ and daughters’ six year commitment to service in our communities, stretching from 7th grade through senior year and building friendships, learning leadership and sustaining effort to create meaningful change. The three pillars of the NCL experience are Philanthropy, Culture and Leadership and we structure our engagements to help members connect with needs and challenges in our community and teach our daughters to give, learn and lead.

 

THE TICKTOCKER EXPERIENCE

We are committed to instilling in our daughters a commitment to serve others and a respect for a broad array of cultural traditions. Our daughters, the “Ticktockers” will learn firsthand the value of time spent serving their neighbors. Over the span of their years with NCL, the young women will follow a program designed to nurture and develop a spirit of service. They will work alongside friends, classmates and their mothers to help with causes where they can make a difference.

In the process, they will learn the value of giving their time and develop leadership, life skills, maturity, confidence and compassion.

Each class of Ticktockers will move through a program to explore different areas of philanthropy and develop greater understanding of community needs and how they can contribute to serving them. As they get older, they will work with their grade-level peers to choose their focus areas and direct attention to the causes that resonate with them and enrich their community.

 

THE PATRONESS EXPERIENCE

As our daughters grow, we are fortunate to spend time with them in days of meaningful service. The habits of reaching out into the community deepen the mother-daughter bond and demonstrate the values of industry, care and initiative that will create the next generation of leaders. As mothers serving together, the Patronesses have the chance to work with talented women and deepen friendships and ties in our own community.

 

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

MONTHLY MEETINGS

The Winnetka Chapter plans monthly meetings from September through May for both Ticktockers and Patronesses. To encourage our girls in their independence, Ticktocker meetings are often held separately, allowing them to move into leadership of their own programming. These events will involve philanthropy projects as well as guest speakers who can bring new insights to the philanthropy projects.  

Three times a year, we hold all-chapter events where we can gather, reconnect and address topics in our chapter’s core program.

PHILANTHROPY EVENTS

Ticktockers and Patronesses must fulfill an annual philanthropy hours requirement by attending volunteer events scheduled with the Winnetka chapter’s approved philanthropy partners.

ANNUAL CHAPTER TEA

The mother-daughter Annual Chapter Tea is an NCL, Inc. tradition that all members are required to attend. Ticktockers and Patronesses work together to plan this annual event and develop organizational skills, budgeting, and etiquette. The tea gathers all Ticktockers and Patronesses to reflect on our mission and recognize the achievements of hard work.

SENIOR RECOGNITION

The NCL experience is an important part of Ticktockers lives during the formative years of middle and high school. Even when our seniors graduate, the friendships and experiences from NCL go with them. Senior Recognition is an annual tradition where the Senior Class Patronesses and Ticktockers come together for a last event to share their NCL memories in a celebration and ceremony.

KICKOFF

Kickoff is an annual event that marks the start of our new chapter year.  At this event, our new Board of Directors and new Grade Level Advisors are introduced, as well as new philanthropies and other nation-wide NCL initiatives for the year. Training for new roles also takes place, and initial planning for the upcoming chapter year begins for each Ticktocker class.  All members are required to attend Kickoff.

FATHER-DAUGHTER EVENT

Each Ticktocker class plans, organizes and hosts its own Father (or Father Figure)-Daughter event. This is a fun annual event!

Join Our Chapter

Interested in joining our chapter? Membership opportunities are dependent on chapter openings.

If you know someone in our chapter, talk to her about getting started, membership obligations and our membership drive timeline.  If you do not know someone in NCL, you are invited to complete this Membership Inquiry Form.

Membership Inquiry Form

For any questions regarding Membership, requests for transfers or assistance with connecting as a Sustainer, email us.

NEW MEMBER INFORMATION SESSIONS

Our upcoming Membership Drive will be kicking off in April 2024 and we’ll be accepting applications for the Class of 2030 as well as for a few openings in the Class of 2028 and Class of 2029.  Please note that the national organization NCL Inc., determines both class size and the limitation on incoming classes. 

To be considered for membership, prospective members must attend one session. Please RSVP HERE. 

· Sunday April 14th 5-6pm (location to be provided following RSVP)

· Monday April 15th 6-7pm (location to be provided following RSVP)

· Wednesday April 17th 7-8pm (Zoom details to be provided following RSVP)

· Sunday April 21st 5-6pm (location to be provided following RSVP)

 

REQUIREMENTS

PATRONESSES

· Fulfill 25 hours annually (15 philanthropy hours and 10 leadership hours) 

· Attend 5 annual Patroness meetings

· Attend the Chapter Tea

TICKTOCKERS

· Fulfill 25 hours annually (15 philanthropy hours and 10 leadership hours) 

· Attend 6 Ticktocker meetings

· Attend the Chapter Tea

 

 REQUIREMENTS FOR PATRONESSES AND TICKTOCKERS ARE MEASURED FROM 6/1 OF GIVEN YEAR TO 5/31 OF FOLLOWING YEAR. 

 

Leadership Hours: Patronesses and Ticktockers are assigned a job for their class or chapter, respectively, and earn leadership hours when their work is directly related to the functioning of the Winnetka Chapter. Leadership hours include chapter board meetings, Grade-level board meetings, committee meetings, job-related duties and training.

Philanthropy Hours: Hour for hour credit is earned for service to NCL Winnetka philanthropic events and projects.   

*All Patronesses are required to serve in at least one Board, Webmaster or GLA (Grade Level Advisor) role during their time in NCL. Ticktockers are required to serve in at least one Board position during their time in NCL.

 

Community Service

We understand and serve communities in partnership with local and national nonprofits. Each NCL, Inc. chapter promotes social awareness by considering the local community’s needs and selecting appropriate non-profit organizations to support through different volunteer activities.

We work with the following philanthropies:

• Alzheimer’s Association
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• Disaster Response
• National Day of Service – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service – January 15, 2024
• Operation Gratitude

Leadership Development

We build capable, courageous leaders through opportunities to learn, reflect and develop. Our leaders become successful in their education, career and communities by learning the necessary skills during their NCL experience.

Examples of skills developed include:

• Confidence
• Consensus building
• Team building
• Conflict resolution
• Event planning
• Parliamentary procedure

Our Chapter Board of Directors:

• President: Deirdre Campbell
• Secretary: Gina Gooden
• Treasurer: Karna Hunt
• Parliamentarian: Kristin Shea
• Vice President Communications: Collin Levy
• Vice President Membership: Stephanie Heraty
• Vice President Philanthropy: Sonia Madden
• Vice President Ticktockers: Holly Miller
• Vice President Chapter Engagement and Inclusion: Shawna Radzik

TICKTOCKER LEADERSHIP

Each Ticktocker class has Board Officers and Committee Members. The Ticktockers are trained in parliamentary procedure and conduct their own meetings, with the support of Patronesses known as Grade Level Advisors (GLA’s).  Ticktockers are required to serve in at least one Board position during their time in NCL.

Ticktockers not serving on the Board are also responsible for a job within their class. Examples of class jobs include planning a cultural outing or event, social media development, and planning icebreakers for meetings.

Each Ticktocker class year will focus on a different area of leadership development, such as conducting meetings, organization skills, goal setting, public speaking, career building, and personal finance management.

PATRONESS LEADERSHIP

Each Patroness has opportunities to serve on the Board or in a leadership position, such as a Grade Level Advisor (GLA) or Event Lead. Patronesses will also serve on committees to perform tasks and projects for the chapter. All Patronesses are required to serve in at least one Board, Webmaster or GLA role during their time in NCL.

Cultural Experiences

We preserve National Charity League traditions and core values, while appreciating the growth that comes from connecting with different communities and cultures. We continually strive to build stronger ties with our communities and the individuals within them. It is through this understanding that we grow and develop broader worldviews that will shape and support our lives.

• Traditions – We celebrate the richness of our history through traditions that honor the past while serving the future.
• Values – We embrace values that make us strong as an organization of mother-daughter leaders.
• Community Connections – We build connections through experiences that impact our communities.
• Etiquette – We encourage and mentor kind, respectful and gracious social conduct.